So, no wonder Ford has decided to launch what you might call the plug-n-play version of the maker’s new Focus Electric, an online game that will allow virtual drivers to take a digital road trip with their BFFs – in this case, their Best Facebook Friends.

Subscribe Now! It's Free!

“This is a great way for consumers to both have fun and learn about the new Focus Electric at the same time,” said Chad D’Arcy, Focus Electric marketing manager. “We want to offer people the opportunity to experience the car now, especially those on Facebook who have supported us for so long.”

Dubbed “Plug N Play in Electric City with the 2012 Focus Electric,” the game allows up to five people to take a trip in the battery version of Ford’s compact sedan. The maker is betting it’s a good way to spread the word about the Focus Electric which officially went on sale in California last December – though it is only beginning to be rolled out now in any real volume.

It’s not often that an automaker admits shortly after introducing an important new model that it may have missed the mark.

But in October, a Honda spokesman told Automotive News that the automaker would accelerate a mid-cycle refresh, normally scheduled for 2014, to answer criticism of the new car’s boring interior.

Your Trusted Source!

So, we thought it was worth taking a look at the new Civic to see if the criticism was warranted.

This is arguably Honda’s most important model, the best-selling compact in the country. Through nine generations of the Civic, buyers have found much to like. So much, in fact, that the Civic line now boasts six different models ranging from the fuel efficient hybrid to the racy Si, two-door hatchback or four-door sedan. There’s even a natural gas-powered model.

Land Rover lands a finalist with the Range Rover Evoque - which goes up against the Honda CR-V and BMW X3.

For the first time ever there will be no Detroit entries among the finalists for North American Truck of the Year – and only one domestic among the Car of the Year finalists.

The all-new Range Rover Evoque, updated Honda CR-V and second-generation BMW X3 grabbed the three top spots among many new truck models tested by the North American Car and Truck of the Year jury – which consists of 50 automotive journalists from the U.S. and Canada.

A Winner!

The finalists in the car category include Ford Motor Co.’s new “world car,” the Focus, Hyundai’s restyled Elantra and the latest-generation Volkswagen Passat, the first model to roll out of the German maker’s new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Though several $1,000 more than the Nissan Leaf, Ford hopes to draw buyers to its Focus Electric by pitching the battery car's quick charge times and range of standard features.

With the first of its Focus Electric battery cars set to roll into a select group of California showrooms next month, Ford has announced it will charge just under $40,000 for the vehicle – potentially giving it a leg up on some key competitors.

The Focus EV is part of a wave of battery-based vehicles the Detroit maker plans to roll out over the next several years, including plug-ins and pure battery-electric vehicles. It launched its first battery car, the Transit Connect Electric, late last year. The Focus will be Ford’s first passenger car to run on battery power alone.

Stay on Top!

“The all-new Focus Electric is an important part of Ford’s overall strategy, bringing still another option to customers who want a car that is fun-to-drive, easy to own and fully electric,” said Chad D’Arcy, Focus Electric Marketing Manager.

Potential buyers now can go online to a special website to configure the 2012 Focus Electric of their choice. The base version will carry a sticker price of $39,200, with destination charges adding another $795. But the battery car qualifies for the full $7,500 federal tax credit available to buyers of electric vehicles.

When it comes to small cars, let’s face it, Detroit has had a history of rolling out some pretty forgettable products, nowhere more so than at Chevrolet, which has dumped on a trusting public such unremarkable and sometimes crude offerings as the Nova, Storm, Cavalier, Cobalt and Aveo.

Which is a good reason why General Motors’ largest division decided to abandon the latter nameplate when it came time to launch an all-new subcompact — one that finally gives reason to Buy American even if there’s more on your mind than a rock bottom price tag.

Yes, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic does still sport a pleasantly affordable bottom line but the fact is it’s also a reasonably fun car to drive – and one that delivers a surprising amount of features and value for the money.

Reviews You Can Use!

Sonic is the new name chosen for the replacement for Chevy’s B-segment car. And starting fresh makes sense. Get rid of the old, dated design and uncompetitive engineering – and move production over to the U.S. The outgoing Aveo was assembled in South Korea by what used to be known as Daewoo. While the Koreans, now part of GM’s global product empire, played a critical role in engineering the 2012 Sonic, the new car is being assembled at a plant in suburban Detroit.

We got our chance to take the new Chevy subcompact out on the road during a blustery autumn day near Hell, Michigan – an ironic name for a place that provides some of the best roads in the state for testing out a car’s mettle.

The Fiat 500 is one of the finalists for the inaugural MPG Vehicle of the Year award.

Billing itself as the largest automotive media association in North America, MPG members have selected cars from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler Group as finalist for their first MPG Vehicle of the Year Award. The presence of each of the domestics is significant considering California is the home of the imports, a market where you might go all day without seeing Detroit sheet metal.

The finalists for the new honor, which is certain to command broad attention, include the 2012 Audi A7, 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, 2012 Fiat 500, 2012 Ford Focus and 2011 Hyundai Elantra. The Fiat 500 is sold by Chrysler across North America — and built at a Chrysler plant in Mexico.

Award Winner!

The five finalists for the “VOTY” were chosen by a panel of 18 MPG journalist members who drive and review new vehicles on a regular basis. All MPG journalist members will evaluate the final five vehicles and vote on the winner at the organization’s annual Track Day event in mid-October. The winner of the award will be announced during the LA auto show’s press days, next month.

The face -- and backend -- of the future for Ford? The Evos Concept suggests even more hatchbacks are in the pipeline.

Hatchbacks are hot at Ford Motor Co. and the maker’s new Evos Concept – which officially debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week – suggests that even more 3- and 5-door models are in the works, according to the maker’s head of global product planning.

Long considered unacceptable to U.S. motorists, hatchbacks are gaining ground fast with younger buyers and influencing even older motorists to take another look. That convinced Ford to go with a 5-door design for the Evos Concept which introduces a new look that “will become increasingly familiar” to the company’s customers around the world,” said product czar Derrick Kuzak.

Subscribe Now! Free!

“The (hatchback) body style is becoming increasingly popular worldwide and especially in North America,” Kuzak told TheDetroitBureau.com, in sharp contrast with years past.

Where hatchbacks were offered on past-generation Ford products sold in the U.S., said the product chief, they accounted for perhaps 20% of total sales. Now, Kuzak noted, “It’s just the opposite,” hatchbacks generating 60 to 70% of demand for models like the 2012 Ford Focus and 2011 Ford Fiesta.

Ford Motor Co. is teaming up with car-share service Zipcar to put 1,000 Ford vehicles onto college campuses across the U.S.

The Zipcar service is designed to offer easy access for those who need a car for brief periods – such as commuters or college students who might need to run quick errands.

The company already has partnerships with a number of other manufacturers and is also pioneering the use of electric vehicles. There are more than 600,000 registered users who already have access to a fleet of 9,000 vehicles. But the alliance with Ford will become Zipcar’s biggest partnership yet.

Stay in the Know!

Initially, Zipcar will field 650 Fords, including the Focus compact and the Escape crossover. Ultimately, as many as 1,000 Ford will go into service during the two-year pilot. The Detroit maker is sponsoring a special reduced-rate program for students – and sees the alliance as a way to reach young buyers who traditionally haven’t had Ford on their radar, says CEO Bill Ford, Jr.

Already battered by poor reviews, the 2012 Honda Civic has now lost its Recommended Buy endorsement from Consumer Reports magazine.

Already battered by both weak reviews and production problems that have led to shortages of the latest redesign, the influential Consumer Reports magazine has pulled its recommendation of the 2012 Honda Civic which “scored too low” in its latest shoot-out among compact cars.

The news is another setback for the third-largest Japanese automaker, which had been counting on the 2012 Civic to overcome recent problems with various niche offerings, such as the Insight hybrid and Accord CrossTour.

Unbiased!

In an increasingly competitive compact segment, the 2012 Honda Civic scored what the magazine described as a “mediocre” 61 points, down 17 points from the score of 78 for the previous-generation Civic.

“While other models like the Hyundai Elantra have gotten better after being redesigned, the Civic has dropped so much that now it ranks near the bottom of its category,” said David Champion, Consumer Reports’ lead auto tester.